ONCE IN A LIFETIME (ATHLETE SERIES #2)
"I want you to meet, Amara Jacinto. She's the new orphan here in the Hope Orphanage so be good to her okay, children?"
No one answered sister Fely who just introduced Ara to be one of the orphan to the other children in this orphanage.
She step backwards to hid herself to sister Fely's back because of the children was glaring at her like she didn't want her to be their friends.
"It's okay, Amara. Go play with them."
Sister Fely urged her to approach the other kids to play with them but she herself, didn't took a step forward and just remained hiding at the back of the nun.
"Nahihiya ka?" sister Fely asked her and she nodded. "Okay, ipapakita ko muna ang magiging kwarto mo at pagkatapos, lumabas ka mamaya para kumain ng tanghalian."
She nodded for the second time. Sinundan nya lang si sister Fely kung saan sya nito dadalhin bitbit ang kanyang butas-butas na bag at maduming teddy bear.
"This is gonna be your room, Amara." magiliw na sabi nito nang makarating na sila sa magiging kwarto niya.
Tipid siyang ngumiti at walang imik na pumasok sa loob ng kwarto saka sinaraduhan ang pinto kahit na nasa harapan ng pinto at nakatanaw pa ang madre.
Ara find herself sitting at the edge of her bed while playing with her shoes that is already covered with mud.
Earlier, the rescuer team had to save her from bad people who throws food and garbage at her while couldn't do anything.
At the age of ten, Ara can't remember her own parents and just live alone at the street and begging for people's money or food just to survive. Yes, she's been living alone without knowing her own parents for the rest of her years.
And now, everything became different. She's now living under the roof and not in some random streets. Now, she had food to eat for several years and not some left over food from the garbage. Lastly, she had clothes to wear for free instead of wearing people's old and dirty clothes just to covered her nakedness.
"LUNCH time!"
Ara immediately stood up when she heard a voice over the microphone that connected to every room in this orphanage.
She ran towards the door to leave her room. Ara was starving like she wasn't eating for the whole week.
"Oh huwag magtulakan!" sigaw ng tagabigay ng kanilang pagkain.
But the children didn't listen. Nag-uunahan at nagtutulakan ang mga ito para tignan ang kanilang pagkain sa tanghalian.
"Ito na naman?!"
"Nakakasawa na!"
"Hindi na ako kakain!"
"Sister bakit ito na naman ang ulam?"
Marami pang bata ang nagsiayawan sa pagkaing ibinibigay sa kanila na libre. Palibhasa ay magdadalawang linggo na nilang ulam ang sinigang kaya naman madaming nagreklamo.
Pero kagaya nga ng palaging sinasabi ni sister Fely, 'mabuti nga at may kinakain kayo, ang ibang bata nanlilimos pa para may pangkain.'
While other children are complaining, Ara is still patiently waiting for her turn to grab food on the line.
"Bago ka dito?" mataray na tanong nung tagabigay ng pagkain sa kanya nang siya na ang kukuha ng pagkain.
"Opo."
Napatango-tango ito. "Ngayon pa lang sasabihin ko na sayo na may isang patakaran ako dito bilang isang kusinera na tagaluto ng inyong makakain. At ang patakaran na yon ay kapag hindi mo naubos ang binigay na pagkain sayo, ikaw lahat ang maghuhugas ng mga pinagkainan dito. Naiintindihan mo ba?" dire-diretso nitong wika sa kanya.
"Opo." maikling sagot nya.
"Wag kang opo ng opo! Gawin mo!"
"Opo." ulit niya.
Lalo tuloy uminit ang ulo nung kusinera kaya bago pa siya nito masinghalan, tuluyan na syang umalis at naghanap ng mauupan.
As she look around the orphanage hall, there's no other left vacant seat for her. But that didn't stop her from eating so she went near the comfort room where the sink is, to sit there and started to eat her free and yummy lunch.
Wala pang dalawang minuto ay naubos na niya ang laman ng pinggan. Hindi na nya kailangang mamroblema pa kapag hindi naubos ang pagkain dahil sa kanya pa lang mismo ay said na said na ang pinggan.
"Hoy!"
May lumapit sa kanyang batang lalaki at may katangkaran sa kanya at bahagya siyang itinulak saka inabutan siya ng pinggan na may marami pang laman na pagkain.
"Ubusin mo yan. Tutal halata naman na matakaw kang kumain." tinawanan pa siya nito sa huli.
"Ayoko. Busog na ako." tanggi nya.
But the kid looks pissed at her denial. So it didn't stop him from making her to agree.
"Hindi mo kakainin yan?" aniya sa pananakot na boses.
"Hindi. Busog na sabi ako."
"Ah ganon," he throw his plate with foods in front of her on purpose and then he scream... "sister! Yung bagong babae po itinapon yung pagkain!"
"Hoy! Ikaw ang gumawa non!"
"Anong ako?! Kitang-kita nila oh!" itinuro pa nito ang mga kaibigan na tatawa-tawa na nanunuod lamang sa kanila. "diba?!"
"Oo nga!"
"Nakita namin na tinapon mo yung pagkain!"
"Baboy ka kase! Hahaha! Napaka taba mo!"
"Kaya pala makalat kumain eh kasi baboy!"
"Kadiri ka! Hindi ka bagay dito!"
"Ang dumi-dumi mo at ang baho-baho pa! Umalis ka na baboy!"
Tinakpan niya ang sariling tainga sa mga kung anu-anong naririnig mula sa kapwa niya bata sa ampunan.
She ran away from the hall with her ears covered by her hands and went to her room. Ara pinched the lock of the door so no one could ever disturb her.
Ara felt relieved when she's finally alone. Alone to her means no one could ever judge her external appearance unlike those kids earlier. And alone to her means freedom. She's free to do whatever she likes that no one could ever stopped her.
She sighed. "Ahh, ang sarap magkulong."
AMARA
I stepped out of his car and look around the wide school where I wanted to studied.
"Salamat sa pagtulong sa akin." I thanked him.
"Psh, wala yon noh."
If it wasn't to his plan, I would probably stucked there at the orphanage in my whole life. If it wasn't from him and Tito Henry's help, I wouldn't have a scholarship here in Athlete University. So all in all, my way of life changed because of the help him and is adopted father.
They let me stayed in there house for a week. They give fed me up like I was part of their family so I'm very thankful to them.
Until the time came that I had to live on my own. And that was today.
"Hey, handa ka na ba sa interview?"
Napamulagat ako. "Interview? Anong interview?"
Napakamot siya sa ulo. "Interview, yung tatanungin ka ng Dean."
"Oooh," I nodded numerable times. "madali lang yon." confident kong sabi.
"Talaga lang ha, English po ang mga itatanong sayo at kailangan mo ring sagutin ng English."
English? Teka, may natutunan nga ba ako sa english? Meron naman siguro. Nakakapag English nga ako minsan kapag nakikipag usap eh.
"Don't tell me hindi ka nag aral ng english?" hindi ako nakasagot kaya napabuntong-hininga sya. "Di ba sabi ko naman sayo bago ako umalis sa bahay ampunan na yon ay mag aral ka para kapag binalikan kita, may alam ka."
"May alam na naman ako ah. Kaya nga kita naiintindihan sa english-english mong kineme."
"Aish! Ewan ko sayo! Bahala ka!"
"Wag kang sumigaw! Magkaharap lang tayo!"
Kunot-nuo niya akong nilagpasan at naglakad na papasok ng AU.
Pero bago ako tumapak sa lupa na kinatatayuan ng paaralang ito, gusto ko munang halikan ang lupa nitong AU dahil ang tagal ko na ring pinangarap na makapasok dito. Nawalan na ako ng pag asa pero hindi ko inaakala na matutupad pala yon basta sa tamang oras.
"Napaka gara talaga nitong school na to. Paniguradong madaming rich kid dito. At paniguradong may mga bully rin. Goodluck na lang sakin."
~amph1trite~